Where to Eat in Wayne County

Thanks to my friends at the Wayne County Conventions and Vistors Bureau for hosting my family for a weekend of fun!

In June my family headed east to discover what Wayne County, Ohio has to offer for families of small children. We have visited the area in the past, because, hello... The Rubbermaid Store... but admittedly, other than that and the local Bob Evans, we hadn't spent much time in the area. We knew an itty bit of Wooster.



As we headed out for a weekend of family fun, I had a worry. My son is a picky eater and my daughter is at the stage of imitating so she all too often follows his cues on culinary delights. I wasn't sure how the experience of comfort food {homestyle cooking} would go over with my kids.

Our first stop in Wayne County was at the Barn Restaurant in Smithville, Ohio. I am game for any style of cuisine, as is Mr. Sweet Silly Sara, but as I mentioned I have that picky eater. He was excited to eat lunch at this place for several reasons; first off, when you pull into the parking lot, you see a lovely sight of a clean well-kept pond, complete with maybe 100 ducks! Second, the kids heard a rumor that this was more than a restaurant; on-site there is a bulk food store and a toy store!

The Community Puzzle at The Barn 

As we entered the building, we smelled yummy aromas and enjoyed the sights of the huge community constructed puzzle, and the bee hive with a cleverly marked queen bee.

The food was great. My picky eater was delighted with the hamburger and fries he was served as was my daughter. I had the BLT which was perfect and shared barn fries with my other half.  We really liked our server, a sweet and cute lady who had a great smile and a friendly demeanor. Despite her crowded dining room, she took the time to talk for a moment and made us feel right at home.

On Saturday we had lunch in downtown Wooster, at a small and unique spot known as Local Roots. I had a great Gourmet Grilled Cheese, Adam, my husband had a veggie wrap. The kids had a peanut butter and honey sandwich and a grilled cheese. The food was interesting as was the atmosphere. Everything available in the cafe and the shop are locally sourced, which is awesome for the community and local economy.

Harpers grilled cheese came with incredibly sweet strawberries.

My gourmet grilled cheese had caramelized onions inside and a side of hummus with chips.

For dinner on Saturday night, we dined at The Dutch Kitchen. As we arrived late in the evening the atmosphere was peaceful, the service was fabulous. The kids both had chicken and fries; I had a giant plate of shrimp and wedges, my husband had roast beef with mashed potatoes. We enjoyed the meal and the atmosphere.

If I have an absolute food passion, it is for freshly baked bread. I have spent many years working on my own recipe for homemade bread, so I consider myself in the know when it comes to technique and quality when it comes to creating and working with a good bread dough. The bread at The Dutch Kitchen was awesome. We had to take a loaf back to the hotel with us! It did not make it back to our house.

Dinner was served quickly and the proportions were epic. We are definitely going back here on our next trip!

My kids were thrilled with the gift shop and bakery, we purchased cream sticks and bread to take back with us and the friendly helpful manager thoughtfully sent an amazing pie with us as well. When you visit The Dutch Kitchen make sure to save room for dessert or pick up a few goodies to take home!



Wayne County is definitely a great place for foodies! They had a lot of awesome spots to stop and grab a bite to eat! We caught a glimpse of a Scottish bakery in downtown Wooster that we can't wait to check out in the near future.

There is another spot that is worth mentioning in this feature as a spot to stop for a nosh is Smuckers in Orrville Ohio. We are going to talk about this is a place to see in another article, but they have a great little cafe on site and a fun little ice cream sundae bar, which was a hit with both of my kids. Okay, who are we kidding? I adored Smuckers all around. It is one of those places that my heart wanted to call home. {Ice Cream, coffee and this amazing, only available here ketchup!}

Wayne county is located in Ohio, east of Mansfield, south of Cleveland in the heart of the Amish country. This is a great destination for families with children of all ages. We travel with kids age 6 and under, and we had a wonderful time in Wayne County. There are so many culturally rich experiences to take in that Wayne County is surprisingly refreshing as a travel destination for families.